The present invention relates to mounting brackets and in particular to brackets for use in mounting portable marine radios.
Due to advances in radio technology, portable marine radios have developed widespread use for ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore communication. Such portable marine radios enjoy the advantage of being usable from any location on a ship or pier, as opposed to larger stationary marine radios having attached microphones. Normally, such portable marine radios have an elongated rectangular shape that allows the unit to be hand held. The microphone/speaker and controls are positioned on the front or top of the unit while the transmit-receive switch is located on the side of the unit to be accessible for operation by the carrying hand.
Although proving to be very versatile for marine use, such portable radios pose the disadvantage that a user does not normally wish to constantly carry the unit. While on land the radio can simply be laid on any support surface, onboard a marine vessel the movement of the vessel may jar and damage the radio unless it is properly secured.
To facilitate storage, many portable marine radios are equipped with a bayonet or spring biased securing clip on the reverse side of the unit. This clip may be hooked over a person's belt to carry the radio when not in use. Although alleviating the storage problem to some degree, boat owners do not always wish to carry the radio on their person, particularly if they are wearing light clothing or a swimsuit. Additionally, as the person moves about the boat it is possible for the radio to be disengaged from the wearer's belt, resulting in either damage to or loss of the radio.